Article

Gardening to-do list for the entire year

Sept./Oct. 2015 California Bountiful magazine

Year-round gardening checklist is also available as a downloadable PDF.

Gardening for many Californians is a year-round pastime set to the rhythms of the seasons. While the timing of tasks varies from region to region, California Bountiful's gardening expert Pat Rubin offers the following as a general checklist.

Cut cannas to the ground after they bloom and they'll send up new stems and bloom again.

Fertilize citrus.

Prune oleanders after bloom.

Pinch back dahlias and mums to encourage new growth for bushier plants with more blooms.

July

Prune wisteria now to keep plants under control and for bigger blooms next spring. Tie some of the strappy stems to support and encourage them to grow where you want them. Cut the rest back to within 6 inches of the main branches.

Wondering when corn is ripe? Silk will start to dry up and kernels of corn, if pressed with a fingernail, will release a milky liquid.

Clean up fallen fruit, vegetables and flowers around plants to head off future pest problems.

Cut back Mexican evening primrose for a second flush of bloom in late summer.

Watch berry vines: Canes that produced fruit need to be cut down at the end of the season; they won't bear fruit again.